Life expectancy nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, while healthy life expectancy lagged

Global life expectancy had almost returned to its 2019 level by 2023, but healthy life expectancy recovered more slowly. WHO estimates also show a growing share of deaths and disability associated with noncommunicable diseases, alongside significant mental-health burdens and continuing differences between regions. 1014

Life expectancy recovered faster than healthy life expectancy

Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, just 0.1 year below the 73.4 years recorded in 2019. Healthy life expectancy—the number of years people can expect to live in good health—was 62.8 years, still 0.4 year below its 2019 level. 14

The two measures describe different parts of population health: life expectancy tracks how long people are expected to live, while healthy life expectancy estimates how many of those years are lived in good health. The gap in their recovery means that a near-return in lifespan alone does not capture the full picture. 1417

Noncommunicable diseases make up a growing share of the burden

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 74% of deaths worldwide in 2023, up from 58% in 2000. Eight of the ten leading causes of death were NCDs. Ischaemic heart disease ranked first; Alzheimer disease and other dementias and diabetes were also among the top ten. 1018

The burden is reflected in disability as well as deaths. WHO estimates say that healthy years lost to diabetes and to Alzheimer disease and other dementias each more than doubled between 2000 and 2023. 12

Infectious-disease progress has not made those services redundant

WHO reports that disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to communicable diseases such as diarrhoeal diseases and HIV/AIDS fell by more than half between 2000 and 2023. DALYs combine years of life lost through premature death with years lived with disability, so this finding concerns overall health loss—not deaths alone. 12

In low-income countries, communicable diseases accounted for less than half of all deaths in 2023, a notable change in the distribution of causes of death. That shift should not be read as a reason to withdraw infectious-disease services: the global estimates describe changing burdens, not the effectiveness of any particular service or policy. 910

Depression and anxiety contributed substantial health loss

Between 2019 and 2023, the global age-standardized rate of healthy life lost rose by about 20% for depressive disorders and nearly 45% for anxiety disorders. Together, depression and anxiety accounted for an estimated 110 million healthy years lost in 2023. 6

Drug use disorders are also identified as part of the changing health burden. Regional trends were not uniform: one report on the WHO estimates describes the largest increases in mortality risk and healthy life loss in the Americas, and substantial declines in the Western Pacific from 2000 to 2023. The figures provided here do not support a comparable region-by-region account for depression and anxiety. 827

What the estimates mean for health policy

The headline recovery in life expectancy is encouraging, but it does not mean that healthy years have fully recovered or that health needs are the same everywhere. WHO’s estimates are designed to compare death and disability trends across countries and regions, giving policymakers a basis for assessing local priorities. 214

A practical implication is to monitor life expectancy alongside healthy life expectancy and measures of cause-specific death and disability. The rising NCD burden supports attention to prevention and care for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia; the mental-health findings support attention to depression, anxiety and substance-use services. In settings where communicable diseases remain a major cause of illness or death, those priorities need to complement—not replace—essential infectious-disease programs. 21012